Reflection Activity on Values and Beliefs

Reflection Question

Q1 When using counselling skills, how could your values and beliefs have an effect on relationships between you and your clients? Think about what you know about anti-discriminatory practice. You will learn more about this later on

Answer

Personal values and beliefs can significantly impact counselor-client relationships in several ways:

Potential Negative Effects:

• Judging clients whose values differ from yours, which undermines unconditional positive regard
• Making assumptions about what is “right” or “best” for clients based on personal beliefs
• Unconsciously treating some clients differently due to biases related to protected characteristics (age, disability, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, etc.)
• Imposing personal solutions or advice that reflect counselor values rather than client needs
• Failing to understand or empathize with client perspectives that contradict personal beliefs

Anti-Discriminatory Practice:

• Requires counselors to recognize their own values and beliefs and how these might create bias
• Demands equal respect and quality of care regardless of client characteristics or beliefs
• Involves actively challenging personal prejudices and assumptions
• Ensures therapeutic decisions are guided by client needs and professional ethics, not counselor preferences
• Protects clients from discrimination based on protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010

Key Point: Self-awareness of personal values and beliefs is essential to prevent them from negatively affecting therapeutic relationships. Counselors must practice within anti-discriminatory frameworks to ensure all clients receive fair, respectful, and effective support.

Q2 Provide the terms for the given definitions

Definitions

1. Firmly held opinions or convictions.

beliefs 2) Some beliefs can foster prejudice as well as this.

discrimination 3) During counselling, your own values and beliefs must be this.

suspended 4) The process that initiates, guides and maintains goal-oriented behaviour.

motivation 5) Principles or standards of behaviour.

values

Understanding what your motivations are will help you to develop your self-awareness. It will also help you to consider both the rewards and the costs involved in becoming a counsellor

Make notes about what you think your motivations are for wanting to use counselling skills in your professional role. You can do this by writing a list of statements indicating why you want to help others. Make sure you use accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Example Motivations for Using Counselling Skills:

• I want to make a positive difference in people’s lives during difficult times.
• I have empathy for others who are struggling and want to support their wellbeing.
• I believe everyone deserves to be heard and understood without judgement.
• I find it rewarding to help people develop self-awareness and reach their potential.
• I want to use my listening skills to create safe spaces where people feel valued.
• I am motivated by seeing clients grow, overcome challenges, and achieve their goals.
• I have a genuine interest in understanding human behavior and psychological wellbeing.
• I want to contribute to reducing stigma around mental health and emotional support.
• I feel called to work in a helping profession that aligns with my values of compassion and service.
• I am committed to ongoing learning and personal development to be effective in supporting others.

• Think about your previous experience of learning in your life up to the present day. Using a 10-year period timeline, try to identify three learning experiences you had. Work out how long it has been since you had each learning experience and state how significant these were. Were there any factors that you feel blocked your ability to learn and how have you overcome/will you overcome them?

• Learning experience 1:

My latest conversation was with a close family member who married a decade ago and was facing financial problems due to her husband not having a good job. Since I am older and more experienced than others, they would turn to me to be listened to and to receive advice or solutions. It has been an ongoing issue with this particular family member. This recent conversation only happened in the month of January 2026, so I remember it quite clearly.

Having listened to the conversation and given my reply, I later realised that I was not truly listening to her because of her past discussions and her own mental capacity to understand the issue. Now I can clearly see that I was not listening properly to her because of my already preconceived notions about her. There were many blocks present in my mind which made me want to reply immediately rather than paying attention to what she was saying. Even though I realised my shortcoming very soon, I was not able to understand how to remove them.

• Learning experience 2:

Another conversation I can recall happened with my friend who was going through hardship during COVID-19 when he was made redundant from his job. Even though I paid full attention, his repeating the same concerns did not make me comfortable, as he was not ready to listen to my advice. Reflecting on the conversation and issues, I can again say that I did not have the expertise to listen to someone with empathy. Though I was compassionate and willing to help, which I had been doing in the past, I wanted him to show some action. Regardless of what I wanted, I can now clearly see that listening is not only about paying attention but also about being able to understand the feelings and emotions of the other person and providing support. With this conversation, I would say that I was able to listen to him, but not like a professional counsellor, nor could I have done so as I had no knowledge about counselling skills.

• Learning experience 3:

The third experience I can recall is when I was working part-time during my studies when someone became emotionally attached to me and wanted me to be her boyfriend. Even though I was young, I was relatively wise enough to listen to her carefully without rejecting or hurting her feelings. I took the situation very positively and listened to her with attention and eventually made her realise that I was not interested in her and was only classmates. Though it was hurtful for her, it was the truth, and I could not enter into any relationship or give her false hopes.

Application Set your timer for 10 minutes, then ask someone you know to talk about a topic they enjoy during that time. Pay close attention to your listening during this time. What caused you to lose focus or interest in what the other person was saying? Did you notice yourself making any assumptions or judgements about what they said during this time?

Answer:

During the 10-minute conversation, I found myself losing focus when the topic shifted to something I was not familiar with. I noticed that I was making assumptions about the person’s interests and trying to relate it to my own experiences, which caused me to lose interest. I also caught myself judging the topic as less important or relevant to me, which further distracted me from fully listening to what they were saying. This experience highlighted the importance of being open-minded and present during conversations, especially when discussing topics that may not immediately resonate with my own interests or beliefs.